Prelude
by aloisbae
Summary: The wine stained Ciel's pale cheeks with a rosy tint while the eyes that sat above them followed two figures skirting their way across the dance floor in a blur of gold and scarlet. Alois spun Lizzy at an appropriate moment and caught her in a scandalous dip, but they ignored the glances with chimes and trills of laughter, like two songbirds in flight. Oneshot. Ciel/Lizzy/Alois.


Hazy, warm light diffused the spinning sight of the Phantomhive ballroom full of music and voices and bodies. The wine stained Ciel's pale cheeks with a rosy tint while the eyes that sat above them followed two figures skirting their way across the dance floor in a blur of gold and scarlet. Alois spun Lizzy at an appropriate moment and caught her in a scandalous dip, but they ignored the glances with chimes and trills of laughter, like two songbirds in flight.

Both were much more skilled in dancing than him, and to watch them in motion was a treat. He would never admit this to either of them though, especially not to Alois, as the praise would go straight to the teenager's head. And as much as he disliked dancing, the look of joy it always brought to Lizzy when he or Alois offered to spin her about for a song or two was not lost on him. He wanted her to always be smiling instead of worrying about her boys as she so often did.

And besides, he couldn't let Alois have all the fun, could he?

The waltz ended, and the two blondes skittered over to his spot by the window, their laughter and voices and smiles preceding them. Alois' golden frockcoat shimmered through the wine and candlelight, and Lizzy's crimson red dress seemed a flame next to him. They were all smiles and warmth and energy next to his somber navy aura.

"Having fun?" he greeted as stepped away from the wall, a glass of white wine in either hand for the two of them. Alois accepted the glass eagerly and took a long drink from it, while Lizzy held it gracefully and offered him a smile in return.

"Yes, indeed!" she responded as she fiddled with the stem of the glass. "We thought it might be a good idea to take a break for a bit, though."

"Then afterwards, might I have a dance, my lady?" Ciel asked with a polite bow and an outstretched hand. A smile bloomed across Lizzy's face as she reached to accept his gloved invitation.

"Hold on," Alois piped in with a soft glare. Lizzy paused and looked at him. "I'm her dance partner for the evening," he insisted.

"Not for the whole evening, Trancy," Ciel returned, straightening up to his full height. While Alois was still the taller of the two, the past few years had been kind to Ciel, and he now stood much taller than he once did. Besides that, he was growing to be a bit broader than the ever-slender Trancy boy, even at seventeen.

"Besides, the good lady is _my_ fiancée. It would be cruel of me not to dance with her, and that is what I wish right now," he insisted, taking Lizzy's hand and kissing the ruby ring on it with a charming smile that pulled a blush from her face.

Alois huffed and pouted. "But you're a terrible dancer! Really, she has much more fun when she dances with me," he insisted, using the pause afterward to take another long drink from his champagne.

"Excuse me? You can't keep her all to yourself just because of that."

"Maybe I can! How come she hasn't asked you to dance yet this evening, hm?"

"Perhaps because you've done your best to keep her occupied."

"Are you accusing me of something, _Phantomhive_?"

"Maybe I am, _Trancy_."

"Honestly, must you two do this every time the song changes?" she asked in an exasperated tone that drew both of their shocked faces. "It's not a competition, but if you're going to both act this way, I will just find another dancing partner. Honestly!"

"But Lizzy-!" Their protests came in synchronization as she turned from them sharply to leave, and she cut them both off with a harsh glare.

"I love both of you, but you can both be so childish sometimes!" The two boys gaped after her as she stomped her way up to Joann Harcourt and practically dragged him onto the dance floor for the next waltz. The poor boy looked terribly confused, but danced along with her regardless.

A sharp trill from Alois dragged Ciel's eyes from the scene.

"You know, she does have a point…" he murmured as he shifted closer to Ciel. His fingers ghosted across the small of the younger boy's back.

"Maybe you are, but I am most certainly not a child," Ciel grunted back, relaxing slightly at the touch. Alois' laughter chimed out again.

"Whatever you say, love," he whispered.

His hand slipped into Ciel's, and with their laced hands discretely placed behind their backs, they watched Lizzy enjoy her dance.

* * *

**Written in response to an ask I received on Tumblr that requested a fic with "Ciel and Alois having to share dancing with Lizzy and then complaining when one of them hogs her for too long", so I hope you enjoyed it!**


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